Free Zone
Why does the cost change by zone?
"How much is a company in Dubai?" has no single answer — because five separate items set the price. In the consultation we work out what each of them costs in your case.
The five items that set the cost
The zone's licence fee
Every free zone sets its own tariff and revises it during the year. The gap between them is not trivial.
Number and type of activities
Some zones are cheaper on a single activity; others bundle several. Activities needing extra approval carry their own charge.
Visa allocation
How many visas does the licence package include? Each additional visa means both a zone charge and processing work.
Office type
Flexi-desk, private office or warehouse? This choice drives both the fee and how many visas you can obtain.
Shareholders and share structure
One shareholder or several; is there a corporate shareholder? More shareholders means more documents and attestation cost.
Those five items belong to the government and the zone. Our service fee sits on top and appears as a separate line in your quote — it is not hidden inside the total.
Zones we work with
Each zone is strong in a particular area. The table below is a guide; the final choice follows your activity and visa needs.
| Free zone | Emirate | Best suited to |
|---|---|---|
| ADGM — Abu Dhabi Global Market | Abu Dhabi | Financial services, fund management, holding structures |
| DMCC — Dubai Multi Commodities Centre | Dubai | Commodities trading, precious metals, general trading |
| JAFZA — Jebel Ali Free Zone | Dubai | Large-scale trade and logistics, port access |
| DAFZA — Dubai Airport Free Zone | Dubai | Aviation, high-value goods, fast logistics |
| Dubai Silicon Oasis | Dubai | Technology, software, R&D |
| Dubai Media City | Dubai | Media, advertising, publishing |
| Dubai Design District (d3) | Dubai | Design, fashion, creative industries |
| Dubai South | Dubai | Logistics, e-commerce, aviation |
| DWTC — Dubai World Trade Centre | Dubai | Events, exhibitions, general trade and services |
| DUQE Free Zone | Dubai | Low-cost general licence, freelancers and small businesses |
| IFZA — International Free Zone Authority | Dubai | Flexible packages for trading and consultancy, fast incorporation |
| Shams — Sharjah Media City | Sharjah | Media, freelancers, low-cost start |
| SAIF Zone — Sharjah Airport International | Sharjah | Light industry, trading, air cargo |
| Hamriyah Free Zone | Sharjah | Industry, manufacturing, oil and gas supply chain |
| RAKEZ — Ras Al Khaimah Economic Zone | Ras Al Khaimah | Industry and SMEs, cost advantage |
| Ajman Free Zone | Ajman | Low-cost trading and small-scale manufacturing |
| Fujairah Creative City | Fujairah | Media, consultancy, low-cost licensing |
| Umm Al Quwain Free Trade Zone | Umm Al Quwain | Low-cost trading and service licences |
| KEZAD — Khalifa Economic Zones Abu Dhabi | Abu Dhabi | Industry, manufacturing, warehousing and logistics |
We don't publish a per-zone price list here, for a simple reason: zone tariffs change during the year, and package content (visa count, office type, number of activities) differs between clients. A published list would be the wrong number for most readers.
Our own fees are in the open
We don't publish zone tariffs, but we do publish our own service fees. Everything you'll need after incorporation has its price on its page:
Let's cost it for you.
Tell us your activity, how many visas you want and whether you need an office; we'll put total first-year cost for two or three zones side by side.